[Volume One: The Sixth Year of Xuanhe]

　　Stumbling into Kaifeng Prefecture in a daze, only to discover it is already the sixth year of Xuanhe. With the Jingkang Disaster looming, Edward Brooks is utterly at a loss...

Volume One: The Sixth Year of Xuanhe Chapter 001: Yu Xiao Yi (Part 1)

　　On the morning of the second day of the second lunar month, as the morning bell of the Great Xiangguo Temple rang out, the spring breeze swept by, bringing an end to three days of continuous, drizzling rain.

　　The sky was clear as if washed, a vast expanse of blue.

　　The red sun burst forth, golden light covering the land.

　　Brilliant and splendid, Kaifeng Prefecture, blooming like a sea of flowers, returned once more to the world of men. The green waves of the Hulong River rippled, playing with the willowy reflections on both banks; at this moment, the Bian River, Cai River, Wuzhang River, and Jinshui River all awakened.

　　From Xuande Gate to Nanxun Gate, the imperial avenue stretched for ten li, two hundred and twenty paces wide, teeming with people.

　　On both sides, two ribbon-like rivers, each five zhang wide, lined with jade stone embankments, sparkling and radiant.

　　Peach, plum, pear, and apricot trees were planted along the riverbanks, their exotic blossoms competing in splendor, red and white intermingling.

　　Red as fire, white as snow, peach pink and apricot white, exceptionally enchanting...

　　Edward Brooks stood on the riverbank of the imperial avenue in the sixth year of Xuanhe, with a pear tree in full bloom behind him. He watched the endless stream of pedestrians on the avenue, yet his face showed an expression of utter bewilderment.

　　This is Kaifeng Prefecture!

　　Kaifeng Prefecture in the sixth year of Xuanhe...

　　Edward Brooks is the name he bears in this life, but his soul comes from nine hundred years in the future. He stands eight chi tall, with a well-proportioned build. Outwardly, he does not appear particularly strong, his figure quite gentle in its curves. Yet beneath this gentle exterior lies astonishing strength... After being reborn, Edward Brooks discovered that his body and strength were worlds apart from his previous life. At least in this era, he could be called a warrior.

　　In his previous life, he was born into a family of ancient musicians.

　　His father studied under the qin master Gu Meigeng, mastering the secrets of the Shushan qin school. Edward Brooks came from a distinguished musical lineage and possessed a keen musical sense. From a young age, he inherited his father's true teachings, mastering classical instruments, especially the guqin and erhu, and was even known as a double prodigy.

　　However, in the future world, Western influences swept eastward.

　　Countless traditions were abandoned, including classical music, which was almost completely neglected. Even those who did study it mostly did so for utilitarian reasons. The era in which Edward Brooks lived in his previous life always made him feel out of place. Later, his parents died in an accident, causing Edward Brooks's life to change drastically. He was forced to abandon the elegant music he had loved since childhood and struggle for survival.

　　But deep down, he never gave up on his ideals.

　　Edward Brooks's greatest wish was to become a true master of elegant music and strive to revive classical music.

　　Dreams are beautiful, but reality is harsh.

　　In the end, Edward Brooks was unable to fulfill his dream, and instead died in a car accident at the age of twenty-six.

　　Unexpectedly, though his body died, his soul traveled nine hundred years back to Kaifeng Prefecture in the year 1124. Edward Brooks is his current name, age 22, in the prime of life. His family has a modest estate, enough to live without worry. However, the late Edward Brooks's reputation was not very good—he was a well-known rascal and idler in Kaifeng Prefecture. Not a villain who bullied the weak or oppressed women, but notorious for his love of fighting... Ten days ago, Edward Brooks was killed in a conflict, paving the way for the current Edward Brooks. Of course, only Edward Brooks himself knows about this.

　　The year 1124 is the sixth year of Xuanhe, also the fourth year of Baoda, and the second year of Jin Tianhui.

　　Elegant music scores are complex and detailed.

　　Without a deep knowledge of history and classical Chinese, it is hard to grasp their true meaning. As for the guqin, the Song Dynasty was undoubtedly a crucial period. During this time, various schools of qin music emerged, reaching their peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, Edward Brooks is also very familiar with Song history. For this most prosperous and refined era in Chinese history, there is much to cherish, but also much humiliation and sorrow.

　　In the sixth year of Xuanhe, Emperor Huizong was on the throne.

　　Two years later, the Jin invaded, Huizong abdicated in favor of Emperor Qinzong, and the era name was changed to "Jingkang"...

　　Jingkang—a time of humiliation and darkness in Han Chinese history.

　　Edward Brooks knows very well the trajectory of this era, yet is powerless to change it. He has no official rank, cannot take the imperial exams, let alone change the coming era of humiliation. He lacks the ability and the prestige. Now, Edward Brooks is just an inconspicuous idler in Kaifeng Prefecture. In this era, he is a nobody, unknown and unremarkable.

　　Whenever he thinks of this, Edward Brooks feels helpless.

　　Standing on the riverbank, watching the endless boats on the Wuzhang River, Edward Brooks suddenly feels a surge of emotion.

　　The times are about to change!

　　Why has Heaven allowed me to be reborn in this era? What is its purpose?